I. Bawled. Absolutely bawled. Wept. This is the most cathartic book I've read in some months just by how it took control of my emotions and wrung everything out.

I'm such a cynical hopeless romantic when it comes to love stories. I want to buy into them, but if love solves al lthe problems, I have a hard time buying it. I also hate instalove. But THE LOVE PROOF built a romance that I bought wholeheartedly. The element of instalove felt <i>right</i> and was ultimately even explained.

The sheer nuance though, and the observations about love, wow. Without getting spoilery, this raises really important questions about how people change when we fall in love with them, as a result of and in conflict with our love or entirely separate to our love. It shows how love can support, but also can take away even with the best intentions in place.

Both our main characters were so good and so solid as individuals, but also had an ache of loneliness that I could feel through the pages, that had my insides squirming with how much the dull pain throbbed. The physics was fascinating, and though this might be because I'm not a scientist, had just enough detail to feel believable.

I really enjoyed Madeleine Henry's previous book, but this was a whole new level. I am blown away. I can't even place my finger on why this was so powerful, why this brought up all the emotions I've been feeling recently, but her writing made everything seem so right and so truthful and so meaningful.

My only complaint: are we really going to be still using personal cars in 2048? Sigh.

Thank you, Madeleine Henry. My eyes are still red two days later, but I feel human again.

The Love Proof is the story of Sophie and Jake. They meet during their first days at Yale and spend almost every day together until life takes them in different directions. They are gifted in different ways and have an amazing personal connection – all leading to an unanticipated future. We learn their story via flashbacks and the present (future). A bit angsty at times but it seemed to fit. Author Madeleine Henry had me feeling the emotions. If you like novels about the nature of love, unique personalities, with a dose of physics and philosophy be sure to give this one a try.

Is there a scientific explanation for why we feel connected to some people? This was an interesting take on romance. Jake and Sophie meet in college and then meet again later in life. It is a beautiful, powerful love story.

Overall I thought the story was interesting, but I think the time the couple were apart was too long. A bit disappointing. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The idea of a STEM/philosopical romance is just so intriguing, even though they seem almost mutually exclusive. The magic of 'The Love Proof' is that it doesn't sacrifice science for sentiment or vice versa. Too much of either is presented as inadequate to satisfy us as people, through a cast of beautiful, messy, broken characters who haven't figured out the right balance, try as they might. It's as if each of them has a piece of the puzzle, and the book invites us along with Sophie as she, literally, solves the problem of love.

It could have been such a cheesy concept, but it works, it really does. Sophie and Jake are both sympathetic but sometimes unlikeable, charming but frustrating, and you root for them to figure things out as much as you want to just yell the answers at them sometimes! It's a beautiful and evocative way of looking at things, skipping through time on occasion and weaving in flashbacks in a way that helps you see what Sophie sees: time itself bends where love is concerned.

Wow! Henry's writing is masterfully expressive and descriptive. Outstanding! While reading this story, I was moved emotionally and mentally stimulated. I loved The Love Proof; it is a uniquely beautiful story–truly a treasure.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an opportunity to read The Love Proof and provide an honest review.

Don't judge a book by its title! The Love Proof (ugh) is a beautiful story that weaves together science and spirit, logic and love. So rarely are we gifted female characters who come by their isolation/introversion honestly, but here we have Sophie, who truly lives in her head (i.e. it doesn't feel like some sort of plot point, where she's neurotic or staunchly against romance so as to provide tension when she ultimately falls for her opposite). And, unlike what one has come to expect of romances, Jake compliments, rather than opposes, her personality. He, too, is an intellectual and slightly more socially adept introvert. Whaaaaat? A love story about two similar people? Where's the tension? I think that's what makes this book so brilliant-- that there's nothing that feels manufactured, no reason for these two not to be together. They're deeply in love with one another, soulmates, you might say, and they both recognize that and neither wants to be with anyone else... But there's just something that isn't right, that guilt Jake possesses for diverting Sophie's brilliant mind from her work. If you've seen Normal People on Hulu (I didn't care for that book, but have watched the series three times, so going to compare it to the show instead) and ached for Connell and Marianne, you will love this book.

The Love Proof-- seriously, I hope they change the name because that *does not* do this book justice-- flew by, to the point that, when the time cut occurred, I thought 'oh, man, I guess the majority of the book is going to be about them as older people', only to discover that I was already nearly to the end! My biggest complaint is that I wish it had been a hundred pages longer, that they would've had another encounter as young adults. I enjoyed Breathe In, Cash Out, but Madeleine Henry's sophomore effort exceeds her debut.

There is a mesmerizing grip this story offers that pulls you in and makes you wonder if there are scientific reasons for our connections to others. The physics of relationships and love matches seems like it would not be scientifically proven, but the romance of that ideal is explored in Sophie and Jake's relationship that starts during their freshman year at Yale and picks up again decades later. Sophie, a scientific prodigy, studies time and has the weight of people expecting her to be the next Einstein pressuring her constantly. She wants to understand the mysteries of the universe. Organized and disciplined Jake is determined to want for nothing and sees his future in hedge funds. But once they meet, they are pulled together so fiercely. What keeps that bond in place? The story is truly remarkable and the title doesn't do justice to the depth of exploration Madeleine Henry offers to a sophisticated concept we all seem to take for granted. The layers are peeled away, and perhaps the universe offers something more than simply calling it love.